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Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of (Retro Post)

Today I was listening to my "yoga" playlist and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind Part II" came on...Yes, this is one of my yoga songs. Don't ask me why...just makes me feel like I can conquer anything from a rough day to a ridiculous yoga pose, even though I'm not from New York. It also made me start thinking about people from New York and their outlooks on life, some of which people from everywhere should adopt and some of which maybe they should stop reciting themselves.

Take this for example:

I’m gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from New York

﻿Let me just start by saying that we should all have a pocketful of dreams and believe that we will make it by any means. I believe all people have the ability to build the strength within themselves to make it through anything no matter how tough it is. Shit is really hard sometimes. That's life. Crying and complaining won't change anything you're going through-how could it? Tears never solved any problems or paid any bills.

On the flip side though...CAN New Yorkers make it anywhere just because they're from NY? I've known quite a few this wasn't the case for as far as Atlanta goes. New Yorkers that have moved here for a change of scenery...to get away from the noise, the hustle and bustle, the madness. They pick it all up and move to Atlanta....6 months, 12 months, 18 months later...it just doesn't work out for whatever reason. The job market doesn't pick up for them which leads to them not getting an apartment or a car, they lose weight because they're eating on a serious budget etc...they end up MISSING all the things they tried to move away from..they complain that the bus/train service here just doesn't cut it..Which matters considering a LOT of New Yorkers don't have a driver's license..they say everything closes too early...they can't buy liquor on Sundays... So they come down, they try it out...it ends up being an epic fail...they move back and voila...they have a place to stay, a Metro card, a fridge full of food and more than likely a job within a month.

Now you’re (back) in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you

Hear it for New York!

Which brings me to the point of this...when its said that in New York:

...There’s nothing you can’t do

and

...If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that’s what they say

Do they really mean...IF you stay in New York there's nothing you can't do? And...they say anywhere but do they really mean...Rochester...Buffalo...Syracuse (not New York, NY)?

And what about the people you meet when you move for your new venture? Old friends, new friends....people that will miss you, remember you...are they just a memory as you go back to what you know or do you stick around just for their sake? I say...at the end of the day you gotta do what you gotta do. If those people love you, they want you to do whatever it takes to better yourself. It just is what it is. Besides...now that you have a friend in New York you officially have a tour guide when you visit!

I plan on visiting my extracted New Yorker soon. Until then...I wish them all the best and most amazing things that their hometown has to offer. Including that Metro card and roof over their head...and most important of all...family. There is nothing more important than family.

In a world where everything changes, the ONLY thing that remains the same IS family.

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of (Retro Post)

Today I was listening to my "yoga" playlist and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind Part II" came on...Yes, this is one of my yoga songs. Don't ask me why...just makes me feel like I can conquer anything from a rough day to a ridiculous yoga pose, even though I'm not from New York. It also made me start thinking about people from New York and their outlooks on life, some of which people from everywhere should adopt and some of which maybe they should stop reciting themselves.

Take this for example:

I’m gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from New York

﻿Let me just start by saying that we should all have a pocketful of dreams and believe that we will make it by any means. I believe all people have the ability to build the strength within themselves to make it through anything no matter how tough it is. Shit is really hard sometimes. That's life. Crying and complaining won't change anything you're going through-how could it? Tears never solved any problems or paid any bills.

On the flip side though...CAN New Yorkers make it anywhere just because they're from NY? I've known quite a few this wasn't the case for as far as Atlanta goes. New Yorkers that have moved here for a change of scenery...to get away from the noise, the hustle and bustle, the madness. They pick it all up and move to Atlanta....6 months, 12 months, 18 months later...it just doesn't work out for whatever reason. The job market doesn't pick up for them which leads to them not getting an apartment or a car, they lose weight because they're eating on a serious budget etc...they end up MISSING all the things they tried to move away from..they complain that the bus/train service here just doesn't cut it..Which matters considering a LOT of New Yorkers don't have a driver's license..they say everything closes too early...they can't buy liquor on Sundays... So they come down, they try it out...it ends up being an epic fail...they move back and voila...they have a place to stay, a Metro card, a fridge full of food and more than likely a job within a month.

Now you’re (back) in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you

Hear it for New York!

Which brings me to the point of this...when its said that in New York:

...There’s nothing you can’t do

and

...If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that’s what they say

Do they really mean...IF you stay in New York there's nothing you can't do? And...they say anywhere but do they really mean...Rochester...Buffalo...Syracuse (not New York, NY)?

And what about the people you meet when you move for your new venture? Old friends, new friends....people that will miss you, remember you...are they just a memory as you go back to what you know or do you stick around just for their sake? I say...at the end of the day you gotta do what you gotta do. If those people love you, they want you to do whatever it takes to better yourself. It just is what it is. Besides...now that you have a friend in New York you officially have a tour guide when you visit!

I plan on visiting my extracted New Yorker soon. Until then...I wish them all the best and most amazing things that their hometown has to offer. Including that Metro card and roof over their head...and most important of all...family. There is nothing more important than family.

In a world where everything changes, the ONLY thing that remains the same IS family.